Vertical zinc-furnace.



F. FIECHTL.

VERTICAL ZINC FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.2. 19:1.

l/V VE IV TOR M ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 14,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. FIECHTL.

VERTICAL ZINC FURNACE.

APPLICATIQN FILED Nov. 2. 1911.

1,291,643, Patented Jan. 14,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

3 f l/VgE/VTOI? H A? a A TTOR/VEY F. FIECHTL.

VERTICAL ZINC FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.2. I917.

1,291,643. Patnted Jan. 14.1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

//V VE IV TOR ATTORNEY FE BDIlIN'AND FIECHTL, OF CHERRYVALE, KANSAS.

VERTICAL ZINC-FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 14, 1919.

Application filed November 2, 1917. Serial No. 199,897.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FERDINAND FrEoHTL, acitizen of the United States, residing in Gherryvale, Kansas, and whosepost-office address is 0/0 the Edgar Zinc Company, Cherryvale, Kansas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VerticalZinc-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to smelting furnaces and is particularlyadapted to the reduction of zinc. The chief features of novelty residein the shape of the retort, which is designed to accelerate thereduction at the lower part of the retort, the means for feeding thecharge into the retort without permitting the gases and vapors in theretort to escape during the charging operation, the design andconstruction of the double arm slag breaker, and the variouscombinations and constructions shown in the accompanying drawings andset forth in the following specification and claims:

In the drawings in which like parts are referred to by like numerals inthe several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a furnace partly broken away embodyingcertain features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlar ed plan view of the detachable coupling or joiningthe charging car and the retort for the charging operation;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing the mechanism for operating thefeeding rods in the charging car;

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the improved double arm slag breaker.

In the drawings 1 designates the furnace as a whole, 2 the supportingbeams and girders, 3 the cellar below the furnace inclosed by thefoundation walls 4 which support the beams and girders 2.

The .retorts 5 having condensers 6 luted in to openings in their sidewalls, are disposed vertically in the furnace and are arranged inadjacent rows to facilitate charging. Longitudinal girders 7 andcrossbeams 7' are carried on top of the furnace and framed into the bucksta s as shown and they support the longitu inal rails 8.

on which the charging car 9 travels. Suitable switches not shown, areprovided so that the charging car 9 may travel over either row ofretorts. The retorts- 5 are mounted vertically in the furnace with theirlower ends seating in the water jackets 9 which serve to gradually coolthe residue or spent charge which accumulates in the lower part of theretorts.

The mouth 10 of each retort is of greater diameter than the throat 11,thus forming a retort of substantially frusto-conical shape. In practicea retort of this shape having a gradually decreasing internal diameterfrom top to bottom has proven very v efficient. The effect of thegradually diminishing sectional area toward the throat of the retortwhere the heat is concentrated tends to accelerate the reduction of thecharge of zinc oxid. furthermore as the charge gradually works towardthe bottom and becomes lesser in volume or density due to the combustionof the carbon, no pockets or spaces will be formed, and the tendency ofthe spent charge to bridge at the bottom will be decreased.

The mouth of each retort is closed by a cover 12 having apertures 13formed therein which are normally closed by movable plugs 14 and thethroat 11 of each retort registers and communicates with a residuechamber 15 formed in the water jacket 9.

The residue chamber 15 is closed at the bottom by a revoluble base 16which is slidably mounted on the sleeve 17 supported in a bearing 17 anddriven by bevel gearing 18 from the line shaft 19. The base 16 isprovided with an integral hub 19 having an annular groove 20 whichcoacts with a pin 21 in the hand lever 22.

The hub 19 of the base 16 has a key-way 23 formed therein and the sleeve17 carries a key 24 adapted to coact with the key-way 23 upon thedownward movement of the lever 22 and base 16. The lever 22 is providedwith a suitable latch 25 to normally hold the base 16 in engagement withthe seat 26 formed at the lower'end of the chamber 15.

A slag breaker 27 is secured to a shaft 28 which is slidably splined inthe bore of the sleeve 17. This shaft is provided with screw threadsadapted to co-act with a suitable stationary nut not shown. As thusconstructed it is clear that the rotation of the sleeve 17 will causethe slag breaker 27 to be rotated and also fed axially within thechamber 15.

The double arm slag breaker 27 as shown in Fig. 6 possesses particularadvantages over cutters or breakers previously used in this art. Eachbreaker 27 comprises a central hub portion 29 having an aperture 30 forthe reception of the driving shaft.

Arms 313l radiate from the hub 29 and have horizontal cutting edges 32formed thereon. At the extremities of the arms 3131, wedge shaped blades33 are formed with vertical cutting edges 34.

The slag breaker as thus constructed with two radial arms having bothvertical and horizontal cutting edges is very effective, it occupies aminimum amount of space in the residue chamber and is so shaped that itcontains no pockets or places for the slag or residue to collect or clogin'and thereby impair its effectual operation. The wedge shaped bladesare very efficient for breaking, scraping and cutting away the slag andresidue, which adheres to the interior walls of the chamber 15.

When it is desired to remove the residue from thewchamber 15 theoperator depresses the lever 22 which will cause the base 16 to belowered and cause the key-way 23 to engage the key 24 on the revolvingsleeve 17. thereby. causing the base 16 to be rapidly rotated. Theconical shape of the base 16 and thecentrifugal action of the rotationof the same will rapidly remove the residue.

Receiving hoppers 35 provided with fire glass windows 35 and drop-doors36 are disposed below the exits 0f the chambers 15, and are adapted toretain the accumulation of residue until such timeas the dump-car 37 isbrought into position to receive its contents.

In charging the retorts the car 9 which is of sufiicient capacity togive all the retorts in the furnace one charge is employed. This cartravels longitudinally along the rows of retorts on the tracks 8,suitable switches being provided to shunt it from one row of retorts toanother.

The bottom of the car is formed with inclined sides which terminate in aneck 38 on the lower end of which an annular flange charge to passthrough the apertures 40 into the retort and are then moved down topress the charge into the retort.

To prevent the escape of gases and vapors from the retort during thecharging operation, and also the leakage of charge, the detachablecoupling 42- shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is used. This coupling comprisescomplementary halves 43 and 44 hinged together at 45, having ears 46 attheir free ends with memes apertures 47 formed therein. A. coupling pin48 is used to lock the two halves of the coupling together by passingsaid pin through the registering apertures 47 after the union has beenclosed to connect the car with the. retort.

To. insure a tight seal between the neck of the car and the retort, theunion is provided with an annular groove 49 to fit the flange 39 on thebottom of the neck of the charging car and a flange 50 to engage theperiphery of the cover 12 of the retort.

The feed rods 41 of the charging car are provided with screw threadswhich engage similar threads in the bracket 51 carried by the frame ofthe car 9. Worm gears 52 and 52. having hubs journaled in the lower part51 ofthe bracket 51 are slidably associated with the rods 41 and areprovided with keys 53 which slide freely in key-ways 54 formed in therods 41. The worm gears 52 and 52 are driven by worms 53 and 53",secured to suitable belting as shown in Fig. 1. The

motor is provided with a suitable reversing switch to control theoperation of the feed -rods 41. Both rods 41 are provided with screwthreads which progress'in the same direction, therefore, it will bemanifest that as they are driven in opposite directions by the wormgears 52 and 52, one rod will feed up while the other feeds down. en thecar is to be moved from one retort to another, the motor is stopped whenthe bottom of both rods are substantially in the same horizontal planeat which time they will be above the cover 12.

In operation the charging car 9 is filled from a suitable overheadhopper with a sufficient quantity of charge for all the retorts inthe furnace, the car is then moved along the tracks 8 into register withthe first retort in the row, the plugs 14 are removed from the coverand'the coupling 42 is manually connected to the retort and the neck ofthe car and the charge is then pressed into the retort by the rods 41driven by the motor 57 and gearing above described. The direction ofrotation of the motor 57 is then reversed to withdraw both rods 41fromthe retort and the car is moved to the next retort to be chargedwhereupon the above op eration is repeated.

The retorts may be intermittently charged at intervals as frequently asrequirements demand. lln practice each intermittent charge representsabout one half a cubic foot in volume per condenser, and the charging isdone at two hour intervals thereby giving pl capacity of six cubic feetper day of 24 ours.

ire

menses From the above it will be manifest that a furnace of thisconstruction can be operated continuously, the charge being convenientlyfed to the retorts at frequent intervals and the residue beingperiodicall removed by the efiicient devices hereinbe ore described.

While I have described in considerable detail certain embodiments of theinvention delineated it is to be understood that structural changes maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of .the invention.

What I claim is: f

1. In a smelting furnace, vertical retorts and a charging car movableover the top thereof which is provided with at least one plunger forcontrolling the volume of the charge fed from the car and means for moving said plunger.

2. A smelting furnace including a plurality of retorts, means movableova the top of the retorts .for chargin said retorts, and means forcoupling the c arging means to the retort to prevent the escape ofvapors,

from said retorts.

3. In a smelting furnace a plurality of retorts, means for forcing thecharge into said retorts, and means for coupling the charging means tothe retort to prevent the escape of vapors from the retorts during thecharging operation.

4. n a smelting furnace a plurality of retorts, means movable over thetop of said retorts of sufiicient carrying, capacity to charge aplurality of retorts, means for feed ing a predetermined quantity ofmaterial into each of the several retorts and means 4 for coupling thecharging means with the retorts to prevent the escape of vaporstherefrom.

5. In a smelting furnace the combination of a tapered vertical retort,means for forcing the charge into the retort, means for preventing theescape of ses during the feeding operation, means or loosening the slaand residue in the bottom of the retort an means for discharging saidslag and residue from the retort.-

6. A smelting furnace including a vertical retort and a slag breakerhavin radial arms with horizontal'cutting edges ormed thereon, andvertical cutting blades formed at the extremities of said radial arms,for disintegrating and breaking the slag loose from the interior of theretort.

7. In a smelting furnace a sla breaker having arms with substantiallyorizontal cutting edges formed thereon and substantially verticalcutting blades formed at the extremities of said arms.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

FEED FIECHTL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for ave cents each, by addressingthe Oommlsslomr of iatata,

Waamngtea, it, 0."

